Gravity's Heartbeat (IzuOcha)
by BearAndBirdFan
Summary: The effects of Ochako's Zero Gravity Quirk are beginning to take their toll on her and her days may very well be numbered. (Izuku x Ochako, Angst, Canon-Divergent)
1. Prologue: Heart Attack

Prologue: Heart Attack

Ochako was out jogging. She had been training herself to get stronger for a while now. Sweat formed on her forehead and on her body as she ran. She was very determined to get stronger, even if she had to push herself.

Suddenly, Ochako felt a sharp jab in her chest. She places her hand on her pounding heart, unsure of what had caused it to beat faster and harder. She resumes running, certain that what had just happened was a sign that she was making some progress.

An assumption that she would regret making moments later.

Out of the blue, Ochako felt another jab stabbing her heart. It hit with such force that all of the air in her lungs left. She fell on her back, her hands scratching her chest as she gasped for air. Her body twitched left and right, up and down as people nearby attempt to help her.

She could only watch helplessly as her entire world went completely black.


	2. Chapter 1: Resuscitation and Diagnosis

"She's gone into cardiac arrest! We're losing her!"

"Clear!"

There was nothing but black. Endless void. Nothingness. That was all Ochako could see as she felt something resembling electricity coursing through the area where her heart is. She could hear voices but couldn't make out where they're coming from.

"Shock her again! Clear!"

She feels another shock course through her heart. The voices are becoming slightly more clearer with each passing second.

"Wake up, Ochako! Please! Please wake up!"

"Clear!"

Another shock. This time, however, Ochako opens her eyes, gasping for air, her heart pounding hard in her ribcage. She takes in her surroundings and sees that she is in a hospital room, as evident by the heart monitor and IV bag connected to her. She is not entirely sure how she got there as the last thing she remembered was feeling intense chest pain and falling unconscious while she was jogging.

Something was wrong with her and she didn't know what.

Just then, the door opened. A woman in a white coat, no doubt a nurse or at least someone who works in the facility, walked in. "Oh, you're awake," she says to Uraraka, who is undoubtedly unsure as to her current condition. "Wh…where am I?" Ochako replied, wanting to know the circumstances that brought her to the hospital bed she now sits on. The woman in white then explained to Ochako that she collapsed during her exercises and that she went into cardiac arrest en route to the hospital. The woman tried her best to ease whatever horrific images might be playing in Ochako's head after hearing that.

"From what we can gather, when you collapsed, one of the people nearby, someone with greenish dark hair if I remember correctly, was giving you CPR until the ambulance arrived," the woman continued. "He was crying, begging you to live as we tried to resuscitate you." Ochako's eyes slightly widen. She only knew of one person in particular that matches that description. "D-Deku?"

Ochako wasn't sure what to make of this, but she knew that she knew as Deku was worried about her health. About her. Then, the door opened again. This time, an all too familiar green haired boy walked in, struggling to hold in his tears. "Uraraka!" The boy called Izuku Midoriya shouted as he tearfully hugged his closest friend. Ochako hugged him back as if to assure him that she was fine when, in fact, she herself is uncertain of whatever fate awaits her. Her parents visited her later in the day after Deku's visit. They pretty much the same reaction. They too wanted to know what was wrong with their daughter.

"You're kidding, right?" Ochako asked with a tone of shock and sadness in her voice as she stared at the x-ray photos showing a misshapen heart between her lungs. It looked like it was shrinking slightly in size. She could hear her mother sobbing and her father trying to comfort her. "This has to be a joke!"

"I'm afraid it isn't," the nurse replied in a tone that told Ochako that this was serious. "It would appear that your heart has lost a bit of its mass." Ochako was shocked at this news. The thought of her heart being literally misshapen like this was a terrifying one. She had to know more. She had to know what was causing this. "Any…idea what's happening to me?" She asked hesitantly.

The nurse didn't want to alarm Ochako, but knew she had to be honest with her. "By the looks of it, your current condition bears a resemblance to that of some astronauts when exposed to zero gravity for prolonged periods of time." Ochako wasn't if she wanted to hear the rest. Was her Quirk somehow responsible for her condition?

"It would appear that since your Quirk has a lot of the same properties as being in zero gravity, it's theoretically possible that it might have something to do with your current condition," the nurse continued. "We'll probably have to do a stress test to see if this is the case or not."

Ochako's fears may have just been confirmed by the nurse's comments. Her Quirk was likely killing her from the inside, albeit literally. She placed her hand on her misshapen heart in melancholy sadness. She feels it thumping slowly. How could she even begin to explain to her friends what was happening to her? Especially Deku?


	3. Chapter 2: Stress Test

Chapter 2: Stress Test

Ochako was nervous about the stress test. Neither she or the doctors are sure about how advance the condition of Ochako's heart was. That was what they were hoping to find out with this stress test.

The doctors place the adhesive patches on Ochako's chest, which would measure her heart rate. They then put an oxygen mask on her face to pump air to her lungs during the test. She was well aware that in her current condition, the chances of her another heart attack during the test were somewhat high.

She was aware of the risks, but she knew it was the only way to know just how bad her condition really is.

"Now, the adhesives attached to your chest will be measuring your heart rate during the test," one of the doctors tells Ochako. "If your heart starts beating abnormally or anything like that, this machine should let us know immediately." Ochako simply nodded as she step on the treadmill.

She was understandably nervous about the test. Not helped by the fact that her heart sped up a little. She closed her eyes and proceeded to take some deep breaths, possibly to try and calm down her heart.

"We can begin the test when you're ready," one of the nurses says. And with that, Ochako began the test, doing a slow jog to start things off.

HR: 102 BPM

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Ba-Bump! Ba-Bump! Ba-Bump! Ba-Bump!

Ochako's heart rate was higher than normal, which was to be expected given her nervousness about the test. Still, she continued onward as the treadmill began to pick up speed. Her heart rate started to speed up as did her breathing.

Sweat formed over her entire body. She showed no signs of calming down as her heart rate was now skyrocketing.

HR: 145 BPM

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP!

It was now reaching a dangerously high rate, as evident by the increased beeping from the heart monitor. Ochako figured her condition was dire, but she didn't think it would bethisbad.

Another sudden rise in her heart rate only amplified her concerns.

HR: 180 BPM

BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!

BA-BUMP!BA-BUMP!BA-BUMP!BA-BUMP!

Ochako's breathing and heartbeat were now essentially spiraling out of curiosity. She clutched her chest in extreme pain, her fingers digging into the black cloth of her sports bra. She was gasping for air and her expression was as if several needles filled with adrenaline were stabbing her heart all at once.

She fell off the treadmill and into the ground, the pain becoming more and more excruciating. The doctors and nurses immediately rushed to her side. "Try to relax," Ochako heard one of them say.

HR: 202 BPM

BABUMPBABUMPBABUMPBABUMP!

BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP!

Another spike. She was struggling to keep breathing. Struggling to stay alive. Her body twitched, violently and uncontrollably to the point of convulsing. "Stay with us, Ochako!" She heard one of the nurses say as her consciousness began to fade.

Her back nearly bends in half as the air in her lungs runs out. Her eyes rolled up to the back of her head as her soul seemingly leaves her body, causing it to go limp.

HR: 0 BPM

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

Ochako's heart had stopped. She is now going into full cardiac arrest.

The doctors immediately began to give her chest compressions in an attempt to get her heart beating again. One of the doctors began giving CPR to Ochako as one of the nurses brought out a defibrillator, which was then placed on Ochako's chest.

"Clear!" The nurse shouted as Ochako's chest jolted upward, the electronic shock coursing through her heart. No response. It still wasn't beating. The medical staff continue the CPR, hoping to bring her back. The defibrillators were again recharged, this time to about 360 joules. "Clear!" The nurse shouted again. Another shock is delivered to Ochako's heart.

HR: 42 BPM

Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…

Ba-Bump…Ba-Bump…Ba-Bump…Ba-Bump…

Ochako's misshapen heart resumed its beating. The medical staff feel a small sense of relief as the faint sound of Ochako's lungs rising and falling slowly signaled to them she was out of danger, at least for the time being.

A couple days had passed. Ochako is still recovering from the cardiac arrest she had suffered. She feels as though her condition may end up getting worse. She had been told by the doctors to ingest some PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline quinone, example of this being kiwifruit) and CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10) to help repair her heart or at the very least delay her imminent end for just a little while longer.

She could hear her parents discussing, or rather arguing, about whether or not to take her home or to let her stay a while longer. She herself is conflicted towards the situation. One the one hand, she would be getting some care that her misshapen heart desperately needs. But on the other hand, she had been absent from U.A. for about a couple weeks at least. Her friends and classmates would undoubtedly become increasingly worried about her. Yes. Especially Deku.

Eventually, Ochako felt that any further absence from U.A. would only cause more concern, she reluctantly decided to leave the hospital the following morning. She was far behind her hero studies already.

Her two near death experiences have taught her to be cautious. Any prolonged use of her Quirk could potentially worsen her condition. She couldn't tell anyone about this. Not her friends. Not even Deku. She didn't want them to make them worry about her more than they already are.

She slept more or less soundly, hoping to take her mind off her situation.


	4. Chapter 3: Back at UA

Ten Days Earlier, Deku's POV

Izuku could hear the commotion nearby. He went to get a closer look and what he saw turned the expression on his face into that of shock and terror.

There, on the ground, he could see Ochako Uraraka, his friend at U.A., writhing on the ground and gasping, her chest rising and falling erratically. One of the people nearby was already calling an ambulance. The green-haired boy ran to Ochako's side almost immediately.

"Hey. Ochako. What's wrong?" Izuku said in a very worried tone. The girl looked like she was on the verge of convulsing. Her hands were scratching her chest as she gasped for what little her lungs could take in. And her eyes. They were rolling upward to the back of her head. A concerned Izuku, worried for Ochako's health, leaned closer to her and placed his ear on her chest.

There, he could hear it. Ochako's heart. It was practically bursting, pumping dangerously fast. Too fast for the poor organ to handle. Izuku's worry turned into horror when Ochako's heart ceased and her body went limp. "N-No," he muttered as he immediately began pumping the center of her chest. Probably a good thing that the U.A. staff were kind enough to teach the Class 1-A students basic first aid skills like CPR.

"Don't die on me, Ochako! Don't you dare die on me!" Midoriya said tearfully, trying to keep it together. Stopping now wasn't an option. She had to live. She had to come back. "Wake up, Ochako! Please! Please wake up!" He continued to give compressions to Ochako as the sounds of ambulance sirens began to draw nearer and nearer.

En Route to Hosu General Hospital

"Just hang in there, Ochako. You're going to be ok," cried a tear-filled Midoriya. The paramedics were just barely able to stabilize Ochako's heartbeat. The beeping from the heart monitor connected to her was slow so the chances of her heart stopping again were high.

Izuku was shaken by the experience. His closest friend was nearing death's door and, in all likelihood, still is. Something had to have been wrong with her, but wha-?

His train of thought was cut short by the long, high pitched beep that was now piercing his ears.

"She's gone into cardiac arrest! We're losing her!" One of the nurses shouted as the paramedics immediately rushed to restabilize Ochako. Panic immediately began to flood Izuku's mind. "Nonononono," he thought to himself as the equally panicked medical staff used the defibrillators on Ochako. "Clear!" Izuku watched as the paramedics give Ochako shock after shock from the defibrillators. Whatever it was that Uraraka was suffering from, it was the first time he felt helpless to stop it.

"Shock her again! Clear!"

Later...

Izuku waited at least a couple days for Ochako to wake up. And when she did, he couldn't help but hold her close to him. "Uraraka!" He cried out. Ochako tried her best to comfort her friend and to let him know that, for the moment at least, she was still here with him.

"Oh thank God. I was so worried," Izuku cried, trying to wipe the tears from his face. "Shh. Hey. I'm alright, Deku," Ochako said, trying to comfort and reassure her best friend. After a few minutes, they broke off the hug and stared at each other.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Deku asked, an assortment of questions taking up space in his mind. "I wish I knew," Ochako answered honestly. She didn't exactly have all the answers. All she knew at that point was that she collapsed while she was out jogging. She didn't even know about her condition until much later.

"I was just out exercising and all of a sudden...here I am, on a hospital bed," she tells him. "The doctors filled me in on the rest. What they do know, at least." Midoriya was understandably worried about Ochako's health. Part of him wishes he had shown up earlier. "I...I'm so sorry, Uraraka," he says. "If I had shown sooner, I could have..."

"Hey. It wasn't your fault, Deku," Uraraka says, trying to reassure him. "You did what you could. It was pretty much out of anyone's control." It really was. No one could have known that this would happen. Still, Deku was reassured by her words. It really was nobody's fault for things happening the way they are.

"I probably get going," Izuku says. "Mom's probably wondering where I've been." As he leaves, he is stopped by Ochako's voice. "Hey, Deku," she says. "Yeah?" Midoriya replied. Her response was rather simple: "Thank you...for trying to save my life." Deku smiled, happy that she was safe...or so he thought.

Present Day, Ochako's POV

It was almost surreal for Ochako to be stepping back into U.A., especially in her current condition. It was a rather terrifying prospect to say the least. She knew all too well that she was potentially walking into what could be her final resting place. Still, she tried her best to put on a brave face.

As she made her way to the entrance of U.A., she tripped and started plummeting to the ground...only to be met with a familiar arm catching her, breaking her fall. "Gotcha," said the all too familiar voice of Izuku Midoriya. "Deku?" Uraraka said as Midoriya helps her regain her balance.

"You really need to watch your step, Uraraka," he says to her. The boy's kindness perplexed Ochako. He always looked out for her much like she looked out for him. Ever since he kept her safe during the entrance exam.

After a few moments of silence, Izuku spoke. "You alright, Uraraka?" He asked. "Yeah. I'm fine," Ochako replied. Except it wasn't true. She was not fine. Far from it. She didn't want Deku or the other students to suspect that something may be wrong with her. Which there was. She didn't want to worry.

"It's good to see you again, Uraraka," Midoriya said, a smile of relief showing on his face. "Me, Iida, Asui, Ashido, we all missed you." That much she had figured. They certainly missed her as much as, if not more than, Deku did. She missed them too. She wanted to see them again. "Well. See you in class," Izuku exclaimed, running towards the entrance.

Ochako followed suit, moving forward to the entrance...and towards an uncertain future.


End file.
